Job Interview Questions and Answers 101

10/6/2016
JobInterviewQuestionsandAnswers101
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These5phoneinterviewtipsarec
JobInterviewQuestionsand
Answers101
ByMikeSimpson
P LE A SE S HARE THI S I N DE PTH ARTICLE BY C LICK I N G T HE
BU TTONS B ELOW :
Andnow,forourfeaturepresentation
Normally these words would signal you to lean back in your
movie theaterchair, put on your 3D glasses and start
shoveling buttery popcorn into your face for the next twoand-a-half-hours.
But in this case, while your job interview does have the
potential to be an Oscar-winning drama (and hopefully not a
B-rated bust), were not talking about the silver screen.
The feature presentationIm talking about is in reference to
the most important part of the entire interview process.
The Job Interview Questions (and Answers).
Gulp.
http://theinterviewguys.com/jobinterviewquestionsandanswers101/
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Job Interview Questions and Answers 101
If youre anything like I was just over a decade ago, the very
mention of interview questions is enough to make your
15 Things You Never (Ever) Want to Hear

During Your Job Interview
temperature rise like a bad fever and your palms to sweat as

if you were holding a never-ending tree pose during a hot
yoga session.
SearchTheBlog
Search...
But why the anxiety?

What is it about these simple little phrases that end with a
question mark that causes us to lose our minds and run for
the hills?
Well, much like anything else its the fear of the unknown.
Youre afraid of not knowing what interview questions are
going to be asked. Youre afraid of giving the wrong answer.
But more than anything, youre afraid that if you dont
answer all of the questions in the most perfect way possible,
youre going to walk out of the interview room with no oer
and make the long, shameful trek back to your parents
basement.
And Im not exaggerating. Even about the parents basement.
Just ask Je (a story for a dierent day).
Heres the deal: You should be a bit nervous.
There are hundreds of typicalinterview questions that you
could be asked, and there are a right and a wrong way to
answer each one of them.
Not only that, but you could be asked these questions at any
stage of the 2016 interview process, from the phone
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interview (for help with these check out our article 8 Phone
Interview Tips That Will Land You A Second Interview) all the
way to the panel or group interview.
One little slip could mean the end of your chances if one of
your competitors is able to do what you cant and give
smooth, condent answers to every question.
And the reality is, if you dont
Someone will.
You know the deal. There are
approximately 90 million
Americans that dont have jobs
and a large portion of those
people are frothing at the mouth
to get back in the workforce.
So needless to say its a
competitive landscape out there
and you need to do what you can
to make sure you stand out from
the crowd.
Luckily for you, Je and I have spent the last few years
perfecting a method for how to answerinterview questions
perfectly, and Id like to share it with you in this article today.
Here'sWhatWeAreGoingToCover
Traditional Job Interview
3 Example Interview
Questions and Answers vs.
Answers
Behavioral Interview
Questions and Answers
The Traps to Avoid

ForEach Interview
Your Mindset: Its Not
Question
About You, Its About
The Dos and Dont s
Them
The Tailoring Method
for Each Interview

Question
Common job interview

questions
Before we get started you should download ourJob
Interview Questions and Answers Cheat Sheet.
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Its a great companion to this article as it gives you perfect

example answers to three of the toughest interview
questions you will face (not contained in this article) and will
also give you access to our VIP Resource area where we have
upwards of 10 more free job interview tools. Click Here To
Get Interview Question Cheat Sheet!
TheBasics:Traditionalvs.Behavioral
InterviewQuestionsandAnswers
If youve had an interview in the last few years, you may have
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noticed that nearly all of the tough interview questions you
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a were asked could fall loosely into two types or styles, or

d should I say broad categories.
h Generally speaking, every interview question that you can be
k asked is either a Traditional(sometimes referred to as basic
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interview questions) or Behavioral Interview Question.
*Now there are a few other categories of questions such as

situational interview questions, case, technical and a few
others that well cover in future articles, but for the purposes
of this article Ive focused on the two largest types.
A hiring manager uses Traditional Interview Questions to get
a general sense of who you are as a person and what your
qualications for the position are.
Quite often, their goal is to explore your professional
aptitudes, attitudes and qualications by asking questions
such as, What is your highest level of education? or
What were your primary responsibilities at your last
job?.
Pretty straight forward stu.
Behavioral Questions, on the other hand, are a whole
dierent ball of wax (and the nemesis of a large portion of
the job seeking community).
With Behavioral Questions, the hiring manager is trying to
determine how you will act on the job (the one you are
currently interviewing for) by analyzing your past behaviors.
In other words, the way you behaved in the past is a
predictor of how you will behave in the future. These
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questions usually begin with Tell me about a time that

or Describe to me a situation when.
NOTE: Today, our focus is going to be on Traditional

Interview Questions. For more information on how to
answer behavioral interview questions, please check out
our other in depth article"Behavioral Interview
Questions and Answers 101."
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a AnsweringTraditionalInterviewQuestions
d Okay. So I think we can both agree that its pretty obvious
h that being able to properly answer the commonly asked
k interview questions is crucial if you hope to beat out your
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competition and get a job oer from your next interview.
Unfortunately for most people, knowing this and executing

this are usually two dierent things.
Why?
Because most people dont have a plan A formula.
. A way to answer every single interview question that
ensures that your answer leaves the hiring managers jaw
hanging open with astonishment and has them writing you
up a job oer before you even stand up to leave the
interview.
The reality is, most job seekers simply roll into their interview
with no plan and try to freestyle their way through the
interview.
Look, you might be able to string words together o the top
of your head like Eminem, but were not auditioning for parts
in 8 Mile here, were trying to get a job.
So leave the rhyming couplets behind and sharpen your
pencil because youre about to learn the step-by-step method
that I know will give you an incredible advantage when youre
in front of the hiring manager.
ItsNotAboutYou,ItsAboutThem
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Before I break down our step-by-step method, there is

something you need to understand. Actually, Ill take it a step
further. This idea is something that from here on out
You need to live by.
As the title of this section says, Its not about you, its
about them.
Take that in for a second.
Say it out loud a few times. Let it rumble around in your head
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for a bit.
a
d So what exactly does it mean?
h Well to this point, youve probably approached your job
k interview something like this
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I worked at Company X for six years

I am highly procient in the following skills.
I love working with children because
This is the point where my hand slams down on a big buzzer
like in the Family Feud.
Why?
Because the company doesnt care about you.
Okay, that is a little harsh. Its not that they dont care for you
and your well-being (although I would argue that a lot of the
major corporations simply dont but this is a discussion for
another day), its that there is something that they are a LOT
more interested in
Themselves.
Now, I dont mean to make the company sound like a selsh,
controlling and manipulative ex-boyfriend, but the reality is,
the reason they are conducting a job interview in the rst
place is because they have a specic goal in mind.
They are trying to fulll their needs.
They have a specic individual in mind for this position, and
its the person who is best able to satisfy these needs.
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The company knows exactly who they are going to hire, long
before this person even enters the interview room.
Now, they obviously dont know the actual name of the exact
individual they are going to hire (that wouldnt be fair), but
they do know the type of person that they want and more
importantly, they know the knowledge, skills and abilitiesthat
this person MUST possess.
Just ask Miriam Salpeter from Keppie Careers, who says:
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While
the focus of Why should we hire you? (and other
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similar interview questions) is on you, the interviewee, its
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important to remember the answer isnt all about you..."

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Okay, so taking that all into consideration, how do you

position yourselfas the type of person that this company
wants to hire?
How do you ensure that you are demonstrating the
knowledge, skills and abilities that your company clearly puts
a lot of value in?
In general terms, you want to show the hiring manager the
dierent ways you bringvalue to the company: how you can
help them satisfy their needs and achieve their goals,
based on your past training and experience.
Youll get your reward if they hire you. But be more
interested in them than you are in yourself. Be there for
them.
Again from Miriam Salpeter
Framing replies that demonstrate you understand their

problems, or pain points, makes a big dierence when
competing with many other qualied candidates.
(Source: Keppie Careers Blog)
But how does one do this?

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By using our Tailoring Method of course!
TheTailoringMethod
No, Im not talking about putting a hem
on the bottom of your new trousers or
letting the seam of your blazer out a little
bit to account for the couple extra
helpings of apple pie you had at
Thanksgiving.
While that tailoring is also crucial (nobody wants to go into
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job interview looking like Je does after his weekly visit

a their
to Krispy Kreme), the type of tailoring Im referring to
d concerns your entire job interview, and more specically,
h your answers to the interview questions.
k So what is tailoring?
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Think of it like customizing.

We now know that your company has a specic type of
person in mind for the role that they are interviewing for.
They have a specic set of knowledge, skills and abilities
that this person MUST HAVE in order to get the job.
So what do you need to do? You need to customize, or
tailor your entire interview to the needs of the company.
SuccessStories
Every interview question should have a base. A stable
foundation to build on. Over here at Interview Guys
Headquarters, we like to refer to these foundational
elements as success stories.
A success story is an example from your past work
experience that clearly demonstrates you succeeding in
some way.
For example, a time that you solved a problem, excelled in a
dicult situation or used a certain skill to get the job done.
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Every time you go into a job interview, you should have
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several of these memorized so that you can use them to help
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a formulate your answers to the interview questions.

d For example, a success story might be:
h
How you analyzed the annual budget and decided
k to make
cutbacks in certain areas that led to more
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prot in the company the following year

How you helped solve a dispute between two coworkers that allowed your team to work more
eciently and led to increased productivity
How you volunteered for the culture committee
and were appointed lead, where you led the team to
make changes to the oce setup which improved
workow and overall eciency
Now heres the key, and something I hope that you noticed
You want to be careful not to slip into your old habits and
start saying Me me me me again. The key is to select
success stories that highlight the knowledge, skills and
abilities that the company desires.
Okay, so I know what you might be thinking
Mike, does this mean I need to have a Success Story
ready for every single interview question? What if I get
asked 30 questions in my interview? Do I need 30 Success
Stories!???
Its a fair question.
Heres the deal: Not allinterview questions and answers
will require you to go into the kind of depth where using
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a Success Story is completely mandatory.

As you prepare for your job interview and study the dierent
commonly asked interview questions, you will see that
certain questions will warrant an answer with a little more
depth or back story.
But there will be other interview questions that are
simplerand will only require a more literal, straightforward
response. For example, What is your ve-year plan? This
question is forward looking and doesnt necessarily require
the support of a tale of success from your past.
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a So use your discretion.

d
h Qualities
k Okay, so Ive mentioned a few times that every company has
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a list of knowledge, skills and abilities that their ideal
candidate must have. We like to group these together into

one category and call them Qualities. Common qualities
include the following:
leadership
collaboration
vision
persistence
innovation
inuence
Everyone has Qualities. Even my partner Je (although Im
still working hard to try and gure out what they are). ;)
Okkkk.... That's the second shot you've taken at

me. I'll be sure to remember that while writing
my next article ;-)
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JEFF
What am I saying?
Just havingQualities isnt enough. You need to have the
Qualities that your company puts a lot of value in.
How does one nd these Qualities?
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as our friend Miriam Salpeter says, Use their in-depth

a Well,
job descriptions, view videos the employers post about their
d organization and visit their Facebook page and Twitter
h feeds.
k We couldnt agree more.
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You should be mining the companys various web

properties to look for these Qualities, and then infusing them
(along with a supporting success story) into your interview
answers.
PuttingItAllTogether
So have you gured out what youre supposed to do? This is
how it works.
Once youve gured out theQualities that your company puts
a lot of value in, you need to be able to show them that
YES!, you do have these Qualities.
The best way to do this is to choose success stories from
your past that help highlight those Qualities.
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This is the big key.

The shift from the traditional way of interviewing. The part
that most people get wrong.
Its in the selection of these success stories that you will
separate yourself from the pack.
Heres an example. Lets say that you discover through your
research that your company puts huge value on the
candidate being detail-oriented. Well, you need to go into
your interview armed with a success story that demonstrates
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you being detailed-oriented.
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a
d Pretty simple right?
h Now, when it comes time to actually answering the
k question there is a little more to it than that, but dont
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worry, were going to use three examples of questions
that will clearly show you how to use a success story and
Quality to answer the question perfectly.
MIKE'STIP
Despitethewinningformulawe'vejustprovided,youwanttobecarefulnotto
overdoit.AsIsaidearlierwithSuccessStories,somequestionswillsimply
requirealiteral,generalanswer,andshouldbetreatedappropriately.Don'ttry
togettoocutebyweavinganelegantsuccessstorylacedwithseveral
Qualitieswhenthehiringmanagersimplywantstoknowhowlongyouworked
atapastjob,whatyourcoreresponsibilitieswere,orsomethingsimilarly
simplified.
CommonJobInterviewQuestions
Why should we hire you?
Tell me about yourself
What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses
Where do you see yourself
in ve years
Why do you want to work
for us?
What do you know about
the company?
How do you manage your

time?
Why did you leave your
last job?
What are your goals?
How do you make
decisions?
Why is there a gap in your
resume?
How do you handle
dicult customers?
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How would your
Do you have any questions
coworkers describe you?
for me?
How do you deal with

pressure?
If you want some sample answers to some of these common
answers that you can get inspiration from then you should
get our job interview questions & answers cheat sheet. Its
pretty helpful because in it we give you word-for-word
sample answers you can model. Click Here To Get The Job
Interview Questions & Answers Cheat Sheet
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a 3ExamplesofTypicalInterview
d QuestionsWithSampleAnswers
h In the following three examples, well show you how to
k answer three common interview questions using the formula
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that we demonstrated above.
Beside each question is the Quality that the company values

the most (which we discovered through our research done
while preparing for the interview). In the answer to the
question, youll see that the Quality that we are trying to
highlight in the answer is in ORANGE, and the success story
that we are trying to use to help support the Quality is in
BLUE. Make sense?
Youll also see that Ive added a tarp that people fall into in
each question. Remember as I said before, many interview
questions have little traps, sometimes traps that are not so
obvious, and you need to be able to identify and avoid them.
Ill also wrap the question up with a few Dos and Donts to
remember when you go into the interview room.
EXAMPLE ANSWER:
1)Whatisyourbiggeststrength?(DesiredQuality:Versatility)
As an architect at the small rm Big Building Inc., I had

to learn all phases of running a business, from
taking care of the IT work to visiting construction
sites to doing accounts payable and receivable. I also
passed the Architect Registration Exam in the 90th
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percentile of scores meaning I bring my architectural

expertise, but I also have the entrepreneurial strength
and spirit. Since your construction company is a startup, I think that would add a lot of value. My experience
shows that I excel whenwearing a few dierent hats,
even if one of them is a constructionhelmet.
TRAP: Many people hear this question and take the

opportunity to gloat about their accomplishments, losing
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sight of the fact that the ONLY important thing you need
to do his highlight a strength that aligns with the
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a companys needs. Never has the importance of the

d Tailoring Method been so clear.
h DO s
k
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1. Highlight one of your strengths that you know the

company puts a lot of value in
2. Use a story from your past to support the strength you are
trying to demonstrate
3. Quantify your level achievement (90th percentile of
scores)
DONT S
1. Dont brag about your accomplishments
2. Dont bring up strengths that arent relevant to the
company you are interviewing with
3. Dont make any claims you cant support with hard facts.
EXAMPLE ANSWER:
2)Howareyouwithtimemanagement?(DesiredQuality:Efficiency)
Working as a travel agent, I had to be excellent at time

management, as I was expected to sell and coordinate
packages of ights, lodging, car rentals, admission
passes, and tickets. All of these items needed to be
coordinated and documented eciently in order to
ensure that my clients vacation expectations were
exceeded. One other aspect of this position that was
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time-related was the fact that time zones played

such a big role in the process. I was able to factor
these dierences into my work and ultimately
provide my clients with a high level of service. I'd say
that this experience accurately demonstrates my
prociency with time management and I believe that
I'm well prepared to manage similar tasks at you
company."
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TRAP: Literally EVERYBODY who answers this question is

going to say they are organized, and the hiring manager
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knows this. They expect you to provide cold hard data

and examples when it comesto your claims, so dont even
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think about claiming your organizational aptitude if you
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cant back it up with facts.
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DO s
1. Always support your statement with hard facts
2. The Quality desired is almost always eciency,
organization, or time management, so there should be no
surprises
3. This is one interview question that you can be 100%
prepared for because you know it is coming and what you
can say to answer it perfectly
DONT S
1. Dont make up any BS stories about being organized if you
cant back it up. Remember, all it takes is one quick call to
your old boss about your habits and your House of Cards can
come tumbling down pretty quickly
2. This is a straight forward question. Dont get cute and try
to weave in any extraneous Qualities that arent relevant to
your level of eciency
3. There is NO excuse to not have this answer prepared
perfectly prior to your interview. You know its coming so
make sure you have your success story ready.
EXAMPLE ANSWER:
3)IsthereanythingelseIshouldknowaboutyou?(DesiredQuality:
Dealswellwithpressure)
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I didnt mention an interesting anecdote when I was the

safety manager at SkyScraper Construction Co. I had just
completed my CPR and First Aid courses, and a man on
site suddenly went into cardiac arrest. My supervisor
looked at me and said, Youre in charge of safety! I had
practiced on a dummy but never on a live person. I knew
I had to keep calm and simply do what I was taught. I
revived him while others called 911. He later thanked
me for saving his life. Although I dont anticipate such a
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thing happening often, the incident taught me that, no
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matter
what happens, keeping calm and putting ones
training
into motion will often resolve a threatening
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situation. I think that was excellent training for an air
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trac controller position, in addition to my FAA

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certication,
of course.
TRAP: You wouldnt believehow many people hear this

question come out of the hiring managers mouth and
take it as an invitation to list o their hobbies and
interests. Look. Theyve seen your resume and are well
aware that you enjoy hiking. This is another opportunity
for you to take control of the interview by zoning in on
their desired quality and really hammering it home with a
well-positioned success story.
DO s
1. Turn the interview from an interrogation to a
conversation by taking this opportunity to highlight one of
the Qualities youve discovered in your research.
2. Keep a few success stories in your back pocket just for
open-ended questions like these. They will really impress the
hiring manager.
DONT S
1. Dont EVER simply say, No, I dont think so. Use the
opportunity youve been given.
2. Dont ramble on and on. Its not an invitation to tell your
life story.
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3. Dont simply list o your hobbies and interests.
TheHomeStretch
Okay, so by now, you should have a pretty good idea of how
to apply our Tailoring Method to answering a typical job
interview questionswith ease.
Success stories (when needed)?
Check.
465 Discovered Qualities through detailed research?
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a Check.
d
h Formula for answering any interview question perfectly?
k You bet!
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The main thing to remember is that its not about you, its
about them, so you should be answering every interview
question with that in mind.
Find the Qualities that your company is looking for in their
perfect candidate and infuse them into your answers. And
if the question warrants it, reference the Success Stories you
have in your back pocket to help demonstrate you have that
Quality.
Now, of course, this assumes that you know what questions
you are going to be asked.
And thats the next step
AQuickWordofWarning
Dont make the same mistake that everyone makes.
Dont go to Google and punch in best answers to
interview questions and on the rst site that pops up,
print o all the questions and answers and memorize
them.
The internet, while making great strides, is still the Wild West
at heart. There is a lot of bad information out there that can
really have a negative eect on your interview preparation.
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So stick with the experts. Hmm let me think if I know any I

can recommend ;)
Joking aside, you obviously need to go to a reputable place to
get the information you need to ensure your interview
success. At the end of the dayyour career depends on it.
Good Luck!
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FREE:JobInterview
Questions&AnswersPDF
CheatSheet!
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Here's
what you're getting:
89
Word-for-word sample answers to the most
common interview questions

Tell me about yourself, why should we hire you?,
What's your greatest weakness and more!
Free Access to our VIP resources area
Click Here To Get The Job Interview

Questions & Answers Cheat Sheet
WA S THIS ARTICLE HE LPF UL? IF S O, P LEAS E SH ARE I T

N OW! (THAN K S! )
65Comments
Mike Simpson
Comments
Trackbacks
February19,2015
Reply
Hey Job Seekers! We want to nd out which job interview questions

annoy you the most! Do you have a particular question that has always
been a thorn in your side? We want to hear from you!
For me, the oddball questions that dont seem to have any real relevance
have always annoyed me. You know the ones.
How many airplanes are in the sky in the United States at any given
time?
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or
How many ridges are there on a quarter?
I understand that they often do inspire some critical thinking which I
certainly can appreciate, but most of the time they are just silly and dont
have any real purpose.
Thankfully these types of interview questions were a fad and most
companies are now going away from them.
Which question(s) annoy you?
CarolDeSantis
February25,2015
Reply
How about the question tell me about yourself?
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Giving one success story does not seem to answer it.
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wizard535
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This was asked randomly by my interviewer so I was taken aback.
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know what it is?
September20,2015
Reply
How would you describe what a TV is to someone who doesnt

Pretty annoying since I think everyone knows what it is.
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Mike Simpson
September20,2015
Reply
Unfortunately, some companies still think that using these

kinds of questions are useful. All you can really do is give
them your best answer while trying not to overthink it too
much.
Zee
February25,2016
Reply
I had a company throw this one at me: What question do you

wish I had asked you during this interview? I was totally thrown
for a loop by it.
Anonymous
February27,2016
Reply
February28,2016
Reply
July19,2016
Reply
When can you start?

Would be a good answer.
Je
Haha, nice!
Loren
I was actually asked the same question and gave that

answer! I was hired!
Angella
February29,2016
Reply
Coming to the party late, but I was asked What is my favorite TV

show? Then, which character do you identify with and why.
I responded Dexter admitting that my favourite TV show was
about a serial killer probably may not have been my best choice. :/
However, for who do you identify with, I had to respond that
while I didnt tend to identify with anyone, Dexter was, in fact my
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favourite character due to the complexity of the character and his
growth and the fact that the actor himself was completely
amazing in the role.
Rezaul Hasan
May15,2016
Reply
Once a Swedish interviewer of a Food Delivering Company was

taking my interview for the post of Online Customer Service Agent.
One of the questions was What would you do if a customer gets
angry on you and doesnt want to listen to you anymore?.
I tried my level best to give him an appropriate answer but he was
just telling me that the customer is still not satised.
That was an odd moment when I felt very confused and gave up!
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Michelle Savage
February20,2015
Reply
I agree with your examples. At every interview I am asked what do you

nd dicult to handle and if you had to pick a aw what is it. I have a
hard time answering these questions and Im certain my answers are
what prevent me from getting a second interview. What would you
suggest?
Mike Simpson
February20,2015
Reply
Michelle,
This is actually just the Whats your greatest weakness? question
in disguise. There are many theories out there regarding the best
way to answer this question, but heres our point of view
We always believe that honesty is the best policy. At the end of the
day, the hiring manager can nd out what your weaknesses are by
having a chat with your references. So oer something that you
have actually needed to work on.
But heres where you want to be careful. You dont want to admit a
weakness that is aligned with one of the core competencies of the
position youre interviewing for. For example, if you are applying
for a coding job at Google you dont want to profess a weakness
with your typing speed. Make sense?
Here is the other important part. The key is to show that you have
acknowledged the weakness AND have taken the appropriate
steps to remedy it. It also helps to have some evidence to show
that you have improved in the area. The hiring manager simply
wont take your word for it.
I hope this helps!
Je
May24,2015
Reply
Hi Mara,
This question gives you a great opportunity to employ the Tailoring
method as discussed in the article above.
You should bring up the qualities that you know from your company
research and by studying the job description the company puts a lot of
value in.
Talk about specic things you like about the company. The key as always
is to show how your strengths perfectly align with the job position and
company culture.
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Sharon Hall
May29,2015
Reply
Salary questions, how can I avoid them..

I am going on a interview tomorrow I know the salary is less then what I
was making about $15K but I have been without a job for almost a year
and how do I negotiation vacation once a position been oer. (I know get
the job rst)
Mike Simpson
June9,2015
Reply
Sharon, we have written an article specically for questions like

this. Please check out our blog post How To Discuss Salary During
the Job Interview Process. Let me know how it goes!
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Adrian
July24,2015
Reply
Is it a show of interest to ask when you would hear from them at the of
the interview or its one of the things that you would classify as an old
and tired question?
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Eugene
November26,2015
Reply
Dear Mike & Je,

Can i put born at home at the place of birth in the personal
information?
Because i was born in our house by the help of my neighbor.
Mike Simpson
December1,2015
Reply
Eugene,
While it does make for a great story, your prospective employers
dont need to know the specic location or facility you were born
in. For place of birth, your city or town and the name of your
country should suce.
Hope this helps.
Donald Givens
December15,2015
Reply
Thanks for the information, Its gives me time to better think ahead of the
job interview, so thank you. And be better informed about the job I am
going for in the job interviews.
Tinika McMullen
December20,2015
Reply
For the question, is there anything else you will like to tell us, what if
you have already touched all the areas you should from answering
previous questions should you reiterate?
Mike Simpson
December22,2015
Reply
Generally speaking, you should never say no when given an

opportunity at any point during your interview. Do you want them
to think you are interesting? Of course. So you should have a few
key things prepared that you think will paint you in the best light
relative to the position (and company) you are interviewing for. In
other words tailor!
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You can also use this opportunity to mention that you do have
some questions. They may want you to wait until then the of the
interview, but in all likelihood theyll let you re away!
Hope this helps.
JANINE
February17,2016
Reply
Thank you for the information!! This is very helpful
Je
February17,2016
Reply
Youre welcome Janine! Thanks for stopping by and good luck on

your interview!
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Anne
March24,2016
Reply
Thanks for the tips. I never have thought of answering questions in its
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not about you, its them perspective. Im also one of the guilty ones that
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great idea!
google correct responses to questions. So thank you so much for this
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Mike Simpson
March24,2016
Reply
Youre welcome Anne! Best of luck to you!
mvikeli
March31,2016
Reply
u guys are the best.going to my second inteview tomorrow

after freestyling the 1st.lol.after reading this i think i am
well prepared
Mike Simpson
April5,2016
Reply
March30,2016
Reply
Good luck!
Carletta
Thank you so much for all the great advice. I was getting job interviews
but havent had much luck getting selected. I nally looked up interview
techniques and that brought me to the interview guys. I interviewed and
got selected for a second interview. The applicant pool was narrowed
down to three and I am one of the three! I am anxiously waiting for my
second interview this afternoon. I love your site!
Je
March30,2016
Reply
Great work Carletta! Good luck on your second interviewFingers

crossed for you over here at Interviewguys Headquarters!
Ali
April4,2016
Reply
Hey, thanks for the article its been really helpful. I have a job interview in
a couple of days (I just graduated from college) however he problem is
that I have an involuntary stutter. The best I can do is to stutter with
condence but I dont know how much my speech impediment is going to
eect my interview. Have you guys ever helped someone with a stutter, if
so then what advice would you give me?
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Mike Simpson
April5,2016
Reply
Ali,
Unfortunately, we do not have any experience helping people with
stutters. I will say this though. Research has shown that people
with stutters make for better employees! Check out this article:
http://www.stutteringhelp.org/content/job-seekers-who-stuttercan-become-great-employees
Heres the bottom line. You need to be condent in yourself and
your abilities, and most importantly, the value you can bring to the
company! Your stutter doesnt dene you OR your ability to be a
successful member of a team.
I hope this helps with your condence going into your interview!
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Mike
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Tim Somers
April4,2016
Reply
I came to this website and just from the looks expected it to either be a
freemium model where I had to pay to get any real information, or for it
to be a series of short lists with no real content. NOT THE CASE!!! Thank
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you so much for putting so much time into helping out people in their
time of need and giving them real thoughtful tips.
Mike Simpson
April5,2016
Reply
Thanks Tim! We are so happy that we are able to help.

Mike
Malik Gordon
April7,2016
Reply
I absolutely hate the question of,where do you see yourself in ve

years? Me being at the young age of 18 Im honestly not sure whats
going to happen in ve years, let alone predict it. This question honestly
has stumped me every time. Nevertheless I have responded with my
college plans and how I can grow with their company.(But still unsure as
to how i may answer that eciently, eectively, and precise.) This has
been a great study tool so far going to test out some tips and advice this
Friday. 10/10
Mike Simpson
April7,2016
Reply
I hear you Malik! When I was your age, I felt the same thing.
Heres the deal. You dont need to try and predict your future in
great detail. You just need to demonstrate that you are committed
to the company and position you are interviewing for, while at the
same time showing you have some ambition to grow within the
company.
Im glad you enjoyed the article. Good luck to you!
Mike
Jay
April17,2016
Reply
Malik- I used to hate this question too, but over the years I
realized that part of it, is they want to see that youre not some
aimless person. A person who has goals, and a plan of how to
achieve them, tells them that you are potentially responsible
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enough to see it through. It takes some self-discipline and
responsibility to achieve any long-term goals imo. If youre 18 and
dont know where you wanna be in 5 years, best start thinking
about it now, cause you dont wanna be in your mid-30s asking
yourself the same question. Course sometimes you have to live
your life to nd out what it is you want
Shantall
Good luck!
April14,2016
Reply
Hay! I came to this web site seeking help for my resume and not only did
I get great help from you guys within the same day o applying for the
job. I missed the call though but i did call them back rst thing this
morning (4/14/2016) and I now have a job interview rst thing Monday
morning!!! You guys are the best I would sooo recommend you guys to all
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my friends. I cant wait!!
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Je
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Haha great news Shantall!
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89
April25,2016
Reply
April15,2016
Reply
Good luck!
Jen Porter
I just wanted to thank you guys for everything on this website. It gave me
the condence and the tools to turn a phone interview in to a second
interview. The second interview led me to getting an oer that exceeded
my expectations within thirty minutes of sitting down. I cant thank you
enough for everything I learned here.
Thank you!!!!
Je
April25,2016
Reply
Wow awesome news Jen! Congratulations, were so glad we could

help!
Ifeoluwa
May3,2016
Reply
I wish I had seen this site earlier, although Ive not gone for any interview
before,I believe I will pretty soon. The information has been really
helpful. Thanks Je and Mike
Taylor S
May5,2016
Reply
Thanks for this great article, Je! Im preparing for an interview in two
weeks with my dream organization (at this point in my life, at least). I was
surprised they even called me back for a second interview because I live
several states away now and I hadnt expected them to pay the travel
expenses. Ive had some practice with interviewing over the past few
months and have some other job oers to fall back on but Im keeping
my ngers crossed that everything goes well for this interview. I used to
seriously lack condence and get extremely nervous during interviews.
Lately Ive been a lot better at it but those interviews have all been over
the phone.
Je
May12,2016
Reply
Great to hear Taylor! Good luck, I hope it goes well..
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Tiany
May10,2016
Reply
Je and Mike-Thank you for all of the great material youve provided. It
has denitely helped with bung up my resume and preparing for
interviews.
In interviews Im always asked, why do you want to leave your small
business? My business is a slower-paced trade and Ive answered that I
miss the fast-pace oce environment were Im presented with many
challenges and problems that I enjoy to resolve. This seems to be
hindering me. Do you have any advice?
Mike Simpson
May13,2016
Reply
Tiany,
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What makes you think that this specic issue is hindering you? Has
this specically been communicated to you? Is it possible there is
another factor that is holding you back?
Mike
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Emmanuel David
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June2,2016
Reply
TO Mike & Je,

I have my interview in 2 weeks time, the company i am going to give
interview is a very protable company in Australia, pay is great and I have
applied for an Assistant Store Manager. The question I struggle with is,
Why you are leaving your previous job ?
the last job i have been with i have worked there for 10 months and after
working there i saw that there is no succession planning. And i am very
passionate and I want to go up the ladder. I have seen few senior
Managers have left the business because of same problem and i dont
want to be in that position where i have been in the business for 5 year
and still in the same role.
How can I make my answer so good that the Interviewer will not think
that I am Job Hopping.
Mike Simpson
June2,2016
Reply
Hi Emmanuel!
This article should help you gure out the best way to answer this
question:
http://theinterviewguys.com/10-good-reasons-for-leaving-a-job/
Good luck with your interview!
M
Emmanuel David
June3,2016
Reply
June5,2016
Reply
Cheers M!!,
Found some good reasons.
Thanks for your help.
Regards,
Emmmanuel
Anonymous
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10/6/2016
Dude, u guys r the best
KL
June15,2016
Reply
Thank you for all the information you have on this site. Very helpful. The
most common questions I get 1. What type of animal are you and why? 2.
Describe to me a problem solving issue and how you handled it?
I am trying to relocate out of state within my company and I have two
interviews tomorrow.
I will let you know how it goes. I am sitting here preparing myself for both
of the interviews and I just came across your website. Thank you
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Kimberly
July1,2016
Reply
Hi Je and Mike,
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I experienced knowing it was about them when asked if you had a job
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organization. While the answer I gave about it being about if I like the
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She asked me that question the rst time as why. would you want to
oer from ve of our competitors why would you choose our

people somewhere in my mind I knew they wanted a dierent answer.
work for us. Then expanded on it. I got the impression she was trying to
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help me see the bigger picture. It was a learning experience for sure.
Je
July19,2016
Reply
Thanks for that input Kimberly, I think it will help our other
readers as well.
Victoria
July3,2016
Reply
Hi guys! I love your site, is well made and lled with useful information!
Can you help me with an answer, please?! Ok, so I applied for a job that
requires uent English ( Im not a native English speaker and even though
my English is not bad, is not uent). Can I say that this is my weakness?
There is a point to hide it being that obvious? Thank you for your answer!
Je
July18,2016
Reply
Hi Victoria,
Yes you can use that as your weakness. Just make sure you make
it clear that you are working very hard to improve your english.
You should mention specic classes or training you are taking.
Diane
September20,2016
Reply
I wondered about this too, although in my case they are

looking for Spanish. I have been working on it for months,
and found an immersion course I will take once I have an
income again, but I cannot aord it before Im working.
Although it wasnt enough to knock me out of the interview
process, it is something they want so it will invariably come
up in the interview at some point. Do you think it would be
better to wait to see if they mention it, or should I bring it
up in the weakness question? Also, it is worth noting that I
have been interning with this agency for a year. Thanks.
Je
September24,2016
Reply
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10/6/2016
Hi Diane,
I think you can wait for them to bring it up and then
be ready with your response that includes specics
on when youre taking the immersion course, why
you think its going to help so much with your
Spanish and your future role with the company. You
dont really want to bring up a quality/skill that you
KNOW they are looking for as your weakness
because if you do, it will most likely trigger a few
alarm bells in their heads. (Even if you explain
properly how you are addressing it Its just human
nature.)
Good luck!
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mary
July18,2016
Reply
To mike and Je
Hello, I am fresh graduate and i have interview july 21 for university
lecturer and i dont have any idea in what area to prepare, how to answer
the questions like tell me about urself, why should we hire u? ,what r
ur strength and weakness? in generally i know nothing. It is my rst
interview in my whole life and i dont know what to expect or how to
answer. so can you help me please.
thank you
Je
July18,2016
Reply
Hi Mary,
Good luck on your rst interview! If you take a look at our specic
articles on those interview questions, youll see that we do have
some tips for grads
Peter F.
August2,2016
Reply
I once was asked in an interview how to make a sandwich?

This job was for a remote tax expert position where you are answering
calls from clients who are trying to prepare their tax returns.
As it turns out, they wanted you to ask questions of the interviewers in
order to determine what ingredients are available. You could then move
forward to describe how to make the sandwich. The key was that you
needed to ask questions in order to provide the best possible answer.
brian
August14,2016
Reply
hey guys this site is awesome i have an interview in a week time the
information here has given me condence i love the how to tailor the
answers quite a helpful piece
Mike Simpson
August15,2016
Reply
Thanks Brian! Good luck to you! Let us know how it goes.
Bruce
August17,2016
Reply
Hey mike, i just wanted to rstly say thanks for the all the info on this
website. it has been so useful because i have really struggled blitzing
interviews.
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Anyway, i got a really curved ball last year asking me Tell me a time
when i dealt with failure? As i know now, its was to put me o. The
company was passenger rail.
How would you answer something like that.???
Thanks Bruce.
Mike Simpson
August17,2016
Reply
Dont be afraid of admitting to failure. We have all failed at one

point or another!
The key is to pivot and clearly demonstrate how you learned
from your failure and the steps you have taken to ensure that this
kind of mistake doesnt happen again.
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But make sure to show concrete examples of the work you have
put in trying to better yourself. Simply saying I learned from my
mistake wont be enough to convince the hiring manager.
Hope this helps!
Mike
Meghan
September6,2016
Reply
Hey! My husband introduced me to this sight to help me study and gain

condence for my interview thats coming up and its been incredibly
helpful! I was just wondering if you have ever worked with people who
have anxiety and what extra tips you could give? The advice its not
about you, its about them, really helped me see the interview in a
dierent light that isnt quite as scary. Any other advice on how to keep
calm and see the interview as less scary, for lack of a better word, would
be much appreciated! Thank you for all of your advice
Je
September6,2016
Reply
Hi Meghan,
Thanks for stopping by our site! Take a look at our blog post on
interview nerves: http://theinterviewguys.com/job-interviewnerves/
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Job Interview Questions and Answers 101

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Tell Me About Yourself Answers (Examples

FREE BONUS PDF CHEAT SHEET: Get our "Job

How To Write A Killer Resume Objective

your next interview.

How To Prepare For A Second Interview

15 Things You Never (Ever) Want to Hear

temperature rise like a bad fever and your palms to sweat as

But why the anxiety?

Questions and Answers vs.

The Traps to Avoid

Your Mindset: Its Not

About You, Its About

The Dos and Dont s

for Each Interview

Common job interview

Its a great companion to this article as it gives you perfect

a were asked could fall loosely into two types or styles, or

interview questions) or Behavioral Interview Question.

*Now there are a few other categories of questions such as

questions usually begin with Tell me about a time that

NOTE: Today, our focus is going to be on Traditional

competition and get a job oer from your next interview.

Unfortunately for most people, knowing this and executing

Before I break down our step-by-step method, there is

I worked at Company X for six years

important to remember the answer isnt all about you..."

Okay, so taking that all into consideration, how do you

Framing replies that demonstrate you understand their

But how does one do this?

By using our Tailoring Method of course!

job interview looking like Je does after his weekly visit

Think of it like customizing.

Every time you go into a job interview, you should have

several of these memorized so that you can use them to help

a formulate your answers to the interview questions.

prot in the company the following year

a Success Story is completely mandatory.

a So use your discretion.

a list of knowledge, skills and abilities that their ideal

candidate must have. We like to group these together into

Okkkk.... That's the second shot you've taken at

as our friend Miriam Salpeter says, Use their in-depth

You should be mining the companys various web

This is the big key.

worry, were going to use three examples of questions

How do you manage your

How would your

Do you have any questions

coworkers describe you?

How do you deal with

that we demonstrated above.

Beside each question is the Quality that the company values

As an architect at the small rm Big Building Inc., I had

percentile of scores meaning I bring my architectural

TRAP: Many people hear this question and take the

a companys needs. Never has the importance of the

1. Highlight one of your strengths that you know the

Working as a travel agent, I had to be excellent at time

time-related was the fact that time zones played

TRAP: Literally EVERYBODY who answers this question is

knows this. They expect you to provide cold hard data

think about claiming your organizational aptitude if you

cant back it up with facts.